Unmanned aircraft or air vehicles (UAVs) provide enhanced and economical access to areas where manned flight operations are unacceptably costly and/or dangerous. For example, unmanned aircraft outfitted with remotely operated movable cameras can perform a wide variety of surveillance missions, including spotting schools of fish for the fisheries industry, monitoring weather conditions, providing border patrols for national governments, and providing military surveillance before, during, and/or after military operations.
The remotely controlled cameras on unmanned aircraft are typically carried by a gimbal system that controls and stabilizes movement of the camera during operation. The camera and gimbal system are, in turn, generally carried within a clear or at least partially clear housing to protect the camera and gimbal system from environmental damage and/or other external hazards. Such housings are generally glass or plastic domes positioned at or proximate to a nose portion of the aircraft and, in many cases, mounted below the aircraft fuselage.
This location offers excellent visibility for the camera during surveillance operations; however, the camera, the gimbal system, and the housing are highly susceptible to damage during landing. Damage is particularly likely in the case of a “belly landing,” which can occur if landing gear is not included (as is the case for many small unmanned systems) or is inoperative. In most cases, belly landings result in significant damage to or complete destruction of the turret's housing, camera, and gimbal system. This can significantly increase operating costs for the aircraft system. In many cases, for example, the cameras used for surveillance operations are extremely complex and expensive devices that can cost more than the rest of the entire aircraft. Furthermore, replacement of the camera, gimbal system, and/or housing can require substantial downtime for the aircraft and, thus, significantly increase the operating costs of such systems.